Table top and the like



MalCh 19, 1940 w. P. DE sAussuRE. JR 2,194,421

TABLE TOP AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 22, 1937 lNvx-:NToR A Patented Mar. 19, 1940 l UNITED STATES TABLE TOP AND THE LIKE William P. De Saussure, Jr., Englewood, N. J., as-

signor to Williaml P. De Saussure, Jr., and James P. De Saussure, copartners doing business as De Saussure Equipment Company, West New York, N. J.

Application September 22, 1937, Serial 165,009

3 Claims.

This. invention relates toy panels, such as table tops and trays, and more particularly to panels, and especially table tops, having a body plate, or core, covered with surfacing sheet material,

5 such as a thin plate or sheet of Bakelite or linoleum or piece of Woven or felted fabric.

The invention aims to provide an improved table top or other panel having an edge finishing strip lof metal. or other suitable hard material l()` forming a frame about the edge of the body plate which serves to protect the edge of the panel against wear and other damage and. to add strength to the panel and provide a pleasing iinish, and also to hold firmly and securely in posi- ,tion surfacing sheet material applied to thev body plate, and which, further, is readily removable and replaceable, making Vit .possible to renew the v surface covering at relatively small cost. I

To .these ends the linvention comprises a panel 20. having a body plate, a covering of sheet materiaL and an edge frame formed of one or more pieces of strip material, most desirably a suitable metal, which has a flange extending inwardly over the margin of the cover sheet and which is secured to the body plate byclamping members engaging the under side of the body plate and the frame strip andserving to clamp the flange of the frame against the cover sheet. The invention includes various additional features. An understanding ofthe invention can best be Vgiven by a detailed description in connection with drawing, and such a description will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a table top embodying the various features of the v invention in the form now considered best. In said drawing: y Fig. 1 is asectional view of the table top taken on line I-I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View of the table top; Fig. 3 isa perspective View on a larger scale of a part of the body plate and covering sheet and edge frame and illustrating theway in which the abutting ends of the frame strip are locked together;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and f Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a I covering sheet of flexible woven fabric.

Referring to the drawing, and first to Figs. 1 to 4, the table top illustrated comprises a body plate I0 which may be of any suitable material, but

which is most desirably made of ply wood. 'The upper surfaceof the body plate is covered with a thin plate, or sheet, I I of surfacing material such as Bakelite or linoleum. Extending about the plate.

edge of the'body plate and surfacing sheet II, is a frame I5 formed of suitable strip material, most desirably a suitable metal, such as an aluminum alloy, having along its upper edge an inwardly extending flange I6 which extends over 5x;

the margin of the surfacing plate II. The frame strip I5 is of a width greater than the thickness of the body plate and surfacingv sheet, and is formed with a longitudinally extending hole or bore I'I which for convenience in production exy 101.

tends throughout the length of the strip and the vertical dimension of which is most desirably substantially greaterthan its horizontal width, and from which a slot I8 opens through the inner vertical wall or surface of the strip. The 15.`

distance from the under side of the flange- IB to the lower edge of the slot I8 isslightly greater Athan the combined thickness of the body plate I8 and covering sheet II at the edges thereof,

and the bore I'I extends downward somewhat be- 2g;

low the lower edge of the slot.

The bore I'I serves two purposes. It provides holes in the ends of they frame strip to receive a locking bar,` and it serves in place of separate` recesses to receive the ends of clamping mem bers bywhich the edge frame is releasably secured with the straight portions thereof held against the edge of the body plate and with its top flange held tightly against the margin of the cover sheet, the bore providing in effect angular recesses at desired points along the length of the strip.

The edge frame I5 may be made from one or more pieces of the strip material, the ends of f which are connected to form a continuous edge u molding when the frame is mounted on the body As shown, the frame is formed from a. single piece of the strip material bent to t about the edge of the body plate with its ends abutting at the line I9. The abutting strip ends are securedv together by a flat metal connecting bar 20 which extends into and is locked within the longitudinal holes provided by the bore I'I. The connecting bar has a recess 2| near each end, and into each of these recesses a part of the wall 5 of the bore II onone side of the slot I8 is upset.

The abutting ends of the frame strip are thus securely locked together and theappearance of the table edge is not marred by the invisible locking means. 50

Theredge frame is secured by a suitable number of clamping members 25 one end of each of which enters theslot I8 and hooks over the lower y edge of the slot, and the other end of which is screwed or otherwise releasably secured to the ur under side of the body plate. The clamping members are most desirable and as shown formed of short pieces of flat metal strip bent to provide a narrow flange at one end to serve as a hook and having a screw hole at the other end.

In securing the positioned frame to the body plate, the flanged ends of the clamping plates are inserted beneath the edge of the body plate into the slot I 8 of the frame, and then the plates,

10 fulcrumed against the edge of the body plate,

are turned to bring their other ends against the body plate and are secured by the screws. The clamping plates hold the straight portions of the strip tight against the edge of the body plate,

and, the distance from the under side of the flange l5 to the lower edge of the slot I8 being, as stated, only slightly greater than the combined thickness of the body plate I0 and covering sheet II at the edges thereof, the ange I8 is drawn down to clamp the margin of the covering sheet to the body plate.

The number of clamping plates required for securing the frame and holding the covering sheet rmly against the body plate will depend on the size of the table top or other p-anel and the rigidity of the frame strip. For a very small panel, four clamping plates, one on each side, as shown, may be sufficient, b-ut usually more should be used. If, as in a round or oval table .T top, `there are no portions of the frame strip which need to be held in against the edge of the body plate, the clamping plates need not have hook ends.

The frame strip may be, and most desirably f'is, made by extruding a suitable metal, such as a suitable aluminum alloy, through a die. The required length of the extruded strip, in a single piece or in two or more pieces, is bent to t the edge of the body plate, and the abutting 0. ends are secured together as stated.

If the covering sheet is of very flexible material,` such as a woven or felted fabric, a sheet of somewhat greater dimensions in all directions than the body plate is most desirably used, the

45,: marginal portions of the sheet being turned down about the edges of the body plate and then inward and secured to the under side of the body plate, as by means of a tape 30 and tacks 3i as illustrated in Fig. 5. In such case the flange g, I6 of the frame strip is not depended on for holding thelcovering sheet, but it does serve to press the sheet against the top marginal portions of the body plate, giving a Very desirable and pleasing appearance.

'Ihe edge frame protects the edge and adds to 4the strength of the Atable top, and provides a decorative finish. Also, as will be seen, the edge frame is readily removable and replaceable, permitting easy removal and replacement of the covering sheet.

What is claimed is:

1. A table top or the like, comprising a body' plate, a covering ofl sheet material, a frame formed of strip material shaped to t about the edge of the body plate and having a ange extending inwardly over the margin of the covering sheet, and a plurality of clamping membershaving hook ends, the hook end of each clamping member being hooked into an angular recess in the frame strip and the member being fulcrumed against the under edge of the body plate and its inwardly extending end being-drawn toward and secured to the under side of the body plate to secure the frame strip to the body plate and to force it underedge of the body plate and its inwardly extending end being drawn toward and secured to the under side of the bodyy plate vto secure the.l

frame strip to the body plate. and to force it downward to seat its inwardly extending flange.,

3. A table top or the like, comprising a body plate, a covering of sheet material, a frame'shaped to t about the edge of the body plate havingv a hole extending longitudinally therethrough and including a slot opening through the inner sider of the frame and having a flange extending inwardly over the margin of the covering sheet,

and clamping members fulcrurned against the under edge of the'body platewiththeir outer ends bearing downward against the lower ledge of the slot in the frame and their inwardly extending ends drawn toward and secured .to the under side of the body plate thereby tovsecure downward to cause its inwardly extending ange. i

the frame to the body plate and to force it downward to cause its inwardly extending ange to clamp the margin of the covering sheet against the body plate, the framebeing formed of one or 1k more pieces of strip material bent to the4 shape of the body plate and having abutting ends thereof secured together b-ypa connecting barA extending into and locked in vthelongitudinal holes in said abutting ends.

WILLIAMP. DE s'AUssuRE, Ja.' 

